A practice match of the the Dutch Lionesses was canceled at the last minute on Thursday afternoon. The team of national coach Andries Jonker was supposed to compete against the women’s Under 19 team in Escaren, but that could not take place due to an unplayable field. The turf was littered with pieces of glass and stone, which had to be cleared away by the players and coaching staff.
Amateur association EGS’20, which hosted the exhibition game, reports on its website that it was a closed exhibition game. However, due to processing of the field, shards have been left behind on the mat. Players and staff members tried to remove it as much as possible, but were told by the medical staff that it was unsafe enough to play the game in Escharen.
Special sight here in Escharen. The internationals of the @ the Dutch women before a friendly against the women under 19, scour every inch of the field because there are stones on it. Staff members go around with buckets. pic.twitter.com/5zecOe52II
— Jeroen van Barneveld (@JeroenBarneveld) June 29, 2023
EGS’20 regrets that it was not able to meet expectations. “A disappointment. Not only for the the Dutch teams, but also for the volunteers who have worked hard in recent weeks to get the field ready to play,” the club writes on the website. The match has been moved by the KNVB to Horst, 45 kilometers away, where both teams will kick off at 3:00 PM.
It is the second time in a short time that consternation has arisen around a practice game of the the Dutch Lionesses. Last weekend, Jonker’s team practiced against a boys’ team from De Volewijckers. Media and spectators were also not welcome at that game. Among other things, cloths were hung and it was not allowed to talk about the result, for fear of losing face. In the end, the women won 2-1, so the fears turned out to be unfounded.